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It must be spring because I have been doing some spring cleaning! I have been cleaning out stuff to donate to my church's yard sale, and I think I might be happier about cleaning out than I usually am about buying stuff. It feels so good to clean out some space in my closet. Don't worry, though; I'm still as addicted to beauty products as ever! Here's my April Glossybox to prove it!

What is Glossybox?

Monthly beauty subscription service

Delivers 5 deluxe and/or full size products

$21/month - 6 month & 12 month options also available

Subscribe toGlossybox, and get points for referring people and for taking surveys on the products included in the box. Here's myreferral linkfor anyone interested.

Biossance The Nourisher, Precious Rose Face Oil - I got a Biossance Face Oil in my first Glossybox, and I liked it. This is a different one that has rose and vitamin C. I enjoy skin care products that use rose, so I will give this one a go.Norell New York eau de parfum - Fragrance samples aren't every one's thing, but I love getting them, especially if it's one I've never heard of. Norell is in the green floral fragrance category. The opening is really sharp to me -- the "green" notes in it, I enjoy the fragrance once it dries down and the base not come forward. This isn't a fragrance I would wear regularly, but I'm glad I have a sample.Leighton Denny Nail Polish in Pillow Talk - I've never heard of this brand before, but it seems to be based in the UK. Pillow Talk is a berry pink nail polish. I wore this last week, and it lasted on my nails for about five days before chipping. That's really good for me!Studio 10 Brow Lift Perfecting Liner - This is a brow pencil that also has a highlighter. I prefer to use brow gels just to keep my brows in place. I have thick eyebrows, so I don't need to fill them in with anything. I'll be passing this along.Unani Dermo Defense Face Mask - This is a hydrating face mask for sensitive skin. I've already used this twice, and I like it. Aloe is the main ingredient, so it feels cool when you first apply it. It's a nice treat for your skin, but I don't understand why a product formulated for sensitive skin has added fragrance. It didn't irritate my skin at all, but fragrance can be a skin irritant.The April Glossybox was pretty good. I'm really happy that they did not include another hand cream or lotion in here. Glossybox has been keeping my body extra hydrated lately! While there isn't a product in here that I think is amazing, my favorites are the nail polish and the hydrating mask. Those are quality products that will get a lot of use.What do you think of the April Glossybox?

It hasn't been a secret on this blog that I have scalp issues. If you've read some of my older empties posts, then you'll notice quite a few bottles of dandruff shampoo. From trying every dandruff shampoo out there, I can tell you some are better than others. For my scalp, shampoos with salicylic acid seem to help much more than pyrithione zinc or coal tar. Recently, my concerns haven't been just my scalp, as I have had a flaky and dry patch under one of my eyebrows. This package from Derma E came at just the right time for me to properly test these products!

Most of us are familiar with Derma E through their Microdermabrasion Scrub, but they have so many more products that are made with natural and more health-conscious ingredients. Products can be found at dermae.com and health food stores.

Good option for anyone who suffers from skin problems or has extremely sensitive skin.

I've been using this on the dry, flaky spot under my eyebrow, and it has been working really well. The small spot doesn't flake off when I use this, and it helps to reduce the redness. It has almost gone away completely now. I've changed a couple of things in my skin care routine, so I'm not sure exactly what has helped the most. I can say that I did tell a difference after I applied it.

Derma E is offering 3 samples of the Psorzema Crème to the first 10 of my readers to sign up for it here.

I'm really happy with every product. My only complaint is that they're not available in as many stores as I would like. I'm really happy that Vitacost has all of these products available because I shop there quite frequently, and they have competitive prices.What have you used from Derma E?

It's time for a confession. While I love trying every new product that has been released, I often don't feel the need to try every new high end or even mid range mascara. Drugstore mascaras are such good quality that many professional makeup artists will give you a recommendation of something you can find at Target. Most of the time, I get samples of new high end mascaras before I commit to purchasing a full size, but sometimes I want to try something new and see how it goes. That is the case with the Smashbox X-Rated mascara.

I'm not sure what exactly is x-rated about it. My only guess is that Smashbox is trying to keep up with the likes of Benefit's They're Real and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascaras. Personally, I'm a little creeped out with the overly sexualized names. Can't I just have nice lashes without them being deemed something overtly sexual? At any rate, this mascara is in my possession, so I guess the joke is on me!

The brush has a triangular shape, or as Smashbox calls it, triangular tripod fibers. The 3 rows of bristles are supposed to isolate, amplify, and extend each lash. It also claims to be smudge, flake, and clump-resistant fro up to 12 hours.

I typically don't apply mascara in coats. I tend to work on a set of lashes until I'm satisfied with the result or out of time to keep worrying with it. For review purposes, I have both ways pictured below. With one coat of this mascara, I have long, separated lashes with a little bit of volume but mostly length.

1 coat

With the second coat, I get more volume, but the mascara starts to clump a little.

2 coats

The third coat produces a lot of length and volume, but there's still clumping, mostly at the ends.

3 coats

Here's the result I get when I apply it like I normally would, just layering it on until I'm satisfied. My lashes have length, volume, and some separation. There may be some clumping, but it isn't major.

Built up at once on other eye

L: 3 coats; R: applied all at once

I put this to the test, wearing it a full day and not touching up anything to see if there would be any smudging or flaking. I even kept it on during my workout at the end of the day to see if the mascara would hold up to that. There was no smudging or flaking even after all of that. Before getting in the shower, I gently rubbed my lashes to see if anything would happen. Not much did. I had one fake land on my right eyelid which was the eye that had three coats and some clumping. Other than that there were no flakes or smudges to be found.

At the end of the day and after a workout - No touch ups!

While I don't think that this is a mascara that everyone needs to run out a buy, I do think this would be worth it if every mascara smudges and flakes on you. I couldn't even make this smudge on me! I also want to give an extra shoutout to the Clinique Airbrush Concealer (review here) because that seemed to hold up really well under my eyes. Have you tried the Smashbox X-Rated mascara? What are your thoughts on more expensive mascaras in general?

Finding and discovering new beauty brands is one of my favorite things, so I welcomed a chance to try some samples from a makeup brand I don't know at all. MAKE is a brand that is entirely new to me, but I'm enjoying getting to know a couple of the products. Before I get into the products, here's a little bit about the brand from their site.

MAKE believes there are no beauty rules. That each individual is driven byan artistic approach to their own personal reality. That it's beautiful to beinspired by your imagination. To embrace a whimsical approach to life. Tobe outspoken, intelligent, confident and un-self conscious.

MAKE encourages creative self-expression as individuals everywherecolor their world. Our beauty products are designed for personal experimentationwith rich formulations and rare palettes in an unconstrained range of colors,finishes and textures. The line is professionally formulated but user-friendlyand can be applied as layers to give as much or as little impact as you feellike on any given day. Whether the look is perfect no-makeup-makeupor modern minimal alongside a more pigmented finish is entirely up to you.

MAKE is made in our hometown, New York City. It is paraben-free andnever tested on animals. 10% of sales are donated to the We See Beauty Foundation,supporting women-led, worker-owned cooperative businesses across the Americas.

I really appreciate that the products cruelty free and paraben free. MAKE products can be purchased from http://makebeauty.com/.

I received the Silk Cream Lipstick in Taffy and the Matte Finish Eyeshadow in Alabaster. The lipstick shade, Taffy, is described as a medium pink with purple undertones. This lipstick feels comfortable and moisturizing on the lips. I don't find it to be particularly long-lasting, but it is a cream finish. I really like Taffy. It's a great everyday shade for me and one that I would wear quite often. The Matte Finish Eyeshadow in Alabaster is a soft eggshell with peach undertones. This eyeshadow is pigmented and blends easily. I didn't have any problems with it being patchy, like mattes can sometimes be. This shade almost blends into my skin. In the pictures below, I used it as a lid shade, but it's almost light enough to use as a highlight shade.

As a bit of a continuation of my last post about the Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow (review here), I'm showing the other item I got during my last visit to the Chanel counter. The Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo Complete Care Lipshines were released with the eyeshadows and are also limited edition. According to Chanel these have, "The intensity of a lipstick, the shine of a lipgloss and the comfort of a lip balm—all in one creamy yet lightweight formula." While I do agree with this statement, this is not a new product to me. This formula looks and feels exactly like the Rouge Coco Shine lipsticks from Chanel, only in a different packaging and maybe some different limited edition colors. Chanel claims to have added some nourishing oils and extracts to this formula, and I'm sure that's true. But, from the look and feel of this product, it is simply a repackaged Rouge Coco Shine. I happen to really like the Rouge Coco Shines, so this doesn't really bother me or even make me feel mildly annoyed. I have only owned one of the Rouge Coco Shines, and it is one of my most worn lipsticks.

The Rouge Coco Stylo Complete Care Lipshines do offer all of the claims above. It does provide color, shine, and a comfortable feel. Because it's a sheer lipstick, there's not much staying power. If you need something to last through dinner, then this is not your lipstick. I do like this packaging a little more than the Rouge Coco Shines. The pen-like shape makes application a bit easier and more precise than the larger traditional size. The colors offered in collection are very wearable due to how sheer they are. A bright is much easier to wear in a sheer formula than it is in an extremely pigmented matte. While this lipstick isn't drying, I don't find it to be particularly moisturizing either. It feels nice and comfortable on the lips, but I'm not convinced that wearing it is the equivalent to wearing a lip balm.

The shade I have, Lettre, is an easy to wear peachy pink. This is a nice shade and formula to have for on the go because I don't need a lip liner. It's great for a day of minimal makeup. I get a lot of use out of lip shines and color balms in the spring and summer. Do you have a favorite sheer lipstick or spring/summer lip color?